it is done friends...

$350 out the door..

Sam's Club did it all... BF Goodrich PRO touring tires.. and an ENERGIZER Battery... f*ck it..only $56!!! I didn't know Energizer made car batteries.. AWESOME!!

OK, next step is this timing belt and water pump yall speak of.. I get that Chiltons Manual tomorrow from the Public Library...

but is there any DIY guides out there with pictures and steps on how to do this? NO idea or clue on this tming belt and water pump stuff... sounds mad intricate...

Also it sounds like I'm going to be doing a lot of work on this car NOW and the future..

What manual is the best for this? I.e. clearly written with HOW TO PICTURES and what not? I always heard negative things about the Chiltons...

but I look at this as another investment and would or should probably buy one right?

ehh I TRIED>.. religiously did oil changes every 3k miles and rotated tires each and every time. and TRIED NOT to drive it in winter if at all possible..thats why its probably in such good shape..and weekly washes i'm sure didn't hurt.. it looks pretty brand new still...

but I want to get it even better..

I appreciate all the help and input fella's and this thread here, will probably serve or have a long life as I go thru this entire process!!

god bless

peace and i'm out!

oNe

 

The group size is 51R (the 'R' means the + and - posts are 'reversed' from a group 51). The OEM battery is 410CCA (cold cranking amps). I would recommend getting anything 450CCA or more should be good enough for Wisconsin winters.

 

Go to Tires Plus or Firestone and get an alignment check (it's free), and if you need one get it done to prevent uneven wear on the Tires. If you can afford it get the 3yr or Lifetime Alignment agreement (for free alignments in the future).

 

o ya if you got new tires its a dam good idea to get the 4wheel alignment done!
tires cost ya about 300bucks. and a 60dollar alignment will make those tires last even longer to get every penny worth outta them!

 

the best manual is the one found in my signature at the bottom of my post. you will need to download the 96-00 civic manual. it has pictures etc. stuff the dealership service guys use.

you will need to purchase a tool from amazon.com or anywhere else that keeps the crankshaft from turning while you undo the bolt. It's normally listed at $24.99. Buy it along with a couple of 1/2 breaker bars and at least a 4 foot steel pipe. Of course, if you have access to an impact wrench, none of this is needed except for the special tool I mentioned earlier.

 

I know it's a little late now but cheaping out on tires was not a good idea. I'm from Canada so our winters up here are very similar to Wisconsin winters and sometimes worse. Dedicated snow tires is the only way to go in the winter. I know it's a bit of a pain to change over the tires a couple times a year but it's well worth it! I speak from experience....I drove for over 25 years on all seasons and 5 years ago, changed over to snow ties. I can't even begin to tell you what a difference it made! If you're going to be putting a lot of work into your car over the next little while, it'd be a shame to slide into someone because of a loss of traction. With dedicated snow tires, your stopping distance is half of what it is with all seasons and your traction upon acceleration, is equal to that of a 4 wheel drive. Most times I eat 4 wheel drives in the winter because most are still running all seasons. I'll end this now but for you or anyone else reading this thread, there is not money, better spent, than that on dedicated snow tires, I will never go back to all seasons.....

 

thats when you get a extra set of wheels for your car and get winter tires on them. that way you just change the wheels for winter and summer.
i got 2 sets of wheels for my truck just for this quick tire swap.

 

doh, TOO late on the tire advice.. as stated tires and battery are done now.. hmm tho next year and once funds permit, I shall invest in WINTER ONLY tires..

can you recommend dedicated snow tire makes and models?

Also DOES ANYONE have a HOW TO GUIDE for the water pump change and timing belt change?

It sounds mad complicated..pic's would help..

I don't have ramps or nothing like that either...Can you gents recommend some brands of ramps to buy and where from I can get them? Or do it even matter, to me, metal ramps seem stronger v/s the "flimsy" plstic ones.. I would also use these same ramps to do an oil change on a 05' HOnda Pilot, so I think the plastic one's are out..

but let me know!


thanks again!

oNe

p.s. Mundy5 I seen your page withe download links.. I just have to wait to get access to a computer that will let me download it.. I don't have internet at home and the computers at the public library do not allow downloads..

 

well IMO dont buy ramps! buy a jack and 2 jack stands.... just be sure the jack stands are good fully welded stands! i bought some cheapie jack stands at autozone along time ago and they had 2 cross bars along the bottom to keep the feet together and it was held inplace by 2 tiny spot welds... long story short the ground was slightly unlevel where i was using them and it folded one jack stand over and bent the other one. so in short i dont trust them with my life when it comes to me being under a 1Klbs+ vehicle! i havent used them since. i took em to my dads shop and welded them up and just use them as stands for the lawn mowers since thats all i trust them with!

and for the timing belt... well since you dont even have a jack or stands i doubt you have a good air compressor and impact gun to get that crank pulley bolt off. not to sound like a d*** but i think you should really take the car into a shop to get that done. just buy the OEM parts you need and give them to the shop to use instead of buying there cheap aftermarket parts they would use!
for a first timer with very little tools ITS A JOB!
but for someone with tools its not that hard just takes time and double checking.

 

Sean, I agree with addiction that you will need to invest in a lot of equipment to get the job done. it's a different story if you already had jack stands etc but since you have none of it, you will end up probably investing more money that it would cost you to get it done at a shop other than the dealership.

ramps will do you no good for this repair since you need to get the front driver's wheel off to get to the timing belt and the other stuff before it. you need a jack with jack stands.

I know that the manual in my signature link is a huge file so you will need to get access to broadband to download it.